Harvard team uses chemical to reprogram cells

A team of researchers at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute were able to turn normal skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells by simply sprinkling them with a chemical and using two of the four genes currently deployed for the task. The breakthrough offers a dramatically simplified approach to reprogramming cells into the more potent stem cell that can develop into a variety of tissues, organs and blood.

Currently, genes and viruses are used to reprogram the cells, a genetic reengineering that leads to a variety of troublesome safety issues. And the two genes left out of this new approach are linked to cancer. The researchers also believe that they can come up with the right chemical formula to dispense with the genes entirely.

"These results support the possibility of reprogramming through purely chemical means, which would make therapeutic use of reprogrammed cells safer and more practical," they wrote in their report. The team's efforts will also propel the use of adult cells in place of embryonic stem cells, which have long been resisted by conservatives in the U.S. and around the globe.  They will now try to improve the efficiency of the process and move from mouse to human cells.

- read the story from the Harvard Crimson

Related Articles:
GSK, Harvard ink stem cell research pact
Harvard alumni give $125M for biological engineering
Stem cell study improves survival of ALS animals
What's in store for stem cell treatments?
Stem cell summit tackles thorny research issues